0

Call it fan enhancement. Call it fan engagement. Even the Disney World effect, as Texas athletics director Chris Del Conte likes to use as an analogy, applies here. Whatever the term or phrase, athletics directors are spending countless hours, and even more on resources and technology improvements, to help address one of the bigger challenges in college athletics — how to provide a quality in-house football experience. As football season approaches in less than two months, programs are committed to solving declining FBS attendance figures from the past decade. Since 2008, NCAA data shows a 10.2 percent drop, including an average dip of 1,409 fans per game in 2017. Texas and Oklahoma, the Big 12’s two powerhouses, easily lead the league in attendance at 92,778 and 86,520, respectively. Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Kansas were the only programs to experience positive growth from 2016, and Texas, with its seating capacity of 100,119, saw average attendance plummet by 5,103. – Sean Isabella, joplinglobe – Read More